Res. No. 1259
Resolution calling upon the New York State Legislature to prohibit family day care, group family day care, school age child care and group child care programs and services from using rodenticides due to the dangers of exposure to young children, and the Department of Environmental Conservation to recommend nontoxic alternatives.
By Council Members James, Chin, Eugene, Koo, Levin, Palma, Rose, Williams and Rodriguez
Whereas, The American Association of Poison Control Centers annually receives between 12,000 and 15,000 reports of children under the age of six being exposed to rodenticides; and
Whereas, According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rat poisons are the leading cause of pesticide-related visits to health care facilities and the second leading cause of hospitalization among children under the age of six; and
Whereas, Young children are particularly at risk for exposure to rat and mouse poisons because the products are typically placed on floors, thus closer to their eye level, and young children sometimes place bait pellets in their mouths; and
Whereas, The chemicals found in rodenticides are known as anti-coagulants, which prevent the blood from clotting; and
Whereas, Children who have been poisoned by rodenticides can experience nosebleeds, bloody urine, bleeding gums, anemia, and internal bleeding; and
Whereas, As of June 2011, the EPA has put into place new regulations that ban the sale of loose baits to consumers, disallow the sale of highly toxic rat poisons at the retail level, limit the amount of bait that can be sold over the counter to no more than one pound, and restrict the use of poisons to bait stations; and
Whereas, The EPA is currently in the process of cancelling the rodenticide products that have not voluntarily adopted the risk mitigation measures, and there are currently 20 different products under review for cancellation; and
Whereas, Although there is an intent to cancel those products that have not met EPA regulations, they are still presently available for sale; and
Whereas, There needs to be further regulations put into place in order to prohibit all day care and child care centers from using dangerous rodenticides; and
Whereas, In 2010, New York State passed a law which banned the use of pesticides on the playgrounds, turf, and athletic or playing fields of schools and child day care centers as defined in the State Education Law and Social Services Law; and
Whereas, The law does not apply to family day care, group family day care, school age child care or group child care programs and services in the five boroughs of New York City; and
Whereas, These excluded programs represented approximately 10,000 licensed or registered providers for child care in New York City as of 2008; and
Whereas, In cases that threaten public health, the law requires that covered day care centers seek the permission of the State Department of Health for an emergency pesticide application and it also requires day care centers to provide notice if pesticides will be applied on the premises; and
Whereas, In cases that significantly affect the environment, the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has the authority to recommend a nontoxic pesticide solution; and
Whereas, The DEC is encouraged to take the steps necessary in order to prohibit pesticide use in buildings and their surrounding property where a child is likely to come into contact with poisonous substances; and
Whereas, Child care facilities are prone to rodent problems due to their size, number of occupants, and presence of food; and
Whereas, There are numerous alternatives to pesticides; and
Whereas, Those alternatives include sealing holes inside and outside the building to prevent entry by rodents, trapping rodents outside the building to prevent infestations within, cleaning up potential rodent food sources and nesting sites, and seeking professional pest control assistance; and
Whereas, Since the number of children exposed to rodenticides has been growing steadily over the last couple of years, firmer measures need to be put into place to ensure a safer environment in child care facilities; now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls upon the New York State Legislature to prohibit family day care, group family day care, school age child care and group child care programs and services from using rodenticides due to the dangers of exposure to young children, and the Department of Environmental Conservation to recommend nontoxic alternatives.
LS# 2604
TM/GP
03/20/2012